November 7, 2013

The planets must be ‘lined up’ :-)

Considering that it’s been a pure ess ache one tee of a day and I spent a good deal of it away from home I’m in exceedingly good spirits. More than that I’m absolutely manic with enthusiasm, in fact I want to go to bed right now just so that I can make tomorrow come round sooner.

The ‘lie in’ on Wednesday must have been due to the red wine and not my internal clocks acclimatisation to GMT for today I was once more up at ‘stupid o clock’. However, that was just fine for it enabled me to wander around in the pishing rain and dark with my head torch on loading up oil barrels into my trailer. The oil tanker was coming on the 8:25 ferry and that would allow me to drop my trailer at the harbour and get the 7:55. I’d not actually planned this trip to Portree but when Scottish Fuels phoned to say they’d be over I jumped at the chance to get some diesel for the http://www.uniquescotland.com/raasayschool/index.html and top up my own tank. Normally I’d use my bowser but I was going to have to transfer it to barrels for the trek to Torran and that would just mean extra work.

The camera paints a misleading picture, it was torrential rain and still pretty dark at the ferry terminal at 7:40

as the Loch Striven prepared to slip her moorings.

An hour later I was in Portree collecting roofing sheets for the solar powered hen shed from Harbro along with pig and hen feed. Next stop was Jewson’s for wood, Macgregor’s for screws and then the Co op for everything but wine!!! What the ‘four letter word’ is all that about??? you can’t buy drink before 10:00am. How many drink related incidents or liver failures is that going to save?? none, all it does is make people who shop early late for their ferry. Well, it didn’t make me late, I did without and the supermarket and chancellor missed out. Right enough I’ll probably be up again at 5:00am but at least I’ll have a clear head

By the time Molly and I had finished admiring the new Honda at Macgregor’s though we’d have been pushed to make the 10:25. I could have gone back to the Co op for a bottle but refused on principle Right enough I’ll probably be up at 5:00am once more but at least I’ll have a clear head.

Dangerous Goods

The planets alignment that had put me in such a good mood must be the same one that sends ‘dangerous goods’ to Raasay. If we get a couple a month it’s unusual, but three on the same day!! First the oil tanker, then the gas tanker and lastly a hay lorry, yes, hay is classed as dangerous goods and must be covered, segregated and lashed down. Though with today’s torrential rain you’d have struggled to ignite petrol with a flame thrower.

Though it was falling as snow on the Cuilins

Back on Raasay at last I headed north past Glam

where Skye Transport

of Crossal were unloading hay for the North Raasay Sheep Stock Club.

Nearer to home I spotted some pigs grubbing amongst the rocks and bracken

but they never even lifted their heads, then it was a bowl of soup and off to the shed to unload.

Not even the incessant rain could dampen my enthusiasm for wifey’s new hen shed, though to be honest I’m probably more excited about the 4kw of solar panels going on top of it Had I gotten them fitted by an MCS registered installer I could, bizarrely enough have claimed the ‘feed in tariff’ despite not actually being on the grid!! It would have cost me three times as much right enough and I’d be lumbered with yet more odious paperwork, which reminds me, my VAT return is due. Better do it quick whilst I’m in such a good mood, perhaps at 5:00am tomorrow, hmmmmmm, we’ll see

Well, it stopped raining at last

but not for long, by the time the sun went down at 16:30 it was pouring with rain once more.

gee it sounds like you’re going to be living in the chicken coop and the chickens in the house. that’s gonna be some swanky lodging. will the solar panels be supplying the house or the chicken coop hot tub and big screen TV????

and, you are going to buy miss molly that fancy red honda for christmas, yes? she looks so sportif on it.